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OPINION

Editorial: Water Works plans piece of world-class park

A $9 million project in Des Moines Water Works Park is slated to add walkways, play features, a food truck park and a dual-stage amphitheater with space for 25,000 people in the southeastern corner of Des Moines Water Works Park. Construction is expected to begin in 2017.(Photo: Special to the Register)

The proposed concert space is making headlines because flooding has affected several big events in the park, and some residents rightly ask whether Water Works is the right place for an entertainment venue. We shouldn’t lose sight of the park’s master plan, however — and the opportunity to create a world-class urban park by connecting natural areas along the Raccoon River.

The Water Works Foundation plans a $9 million project that includes a dual-stage amphitheater, great lawn, playground, and a winding series of walking paths, bike trails and waterways in the southeast corner of the park, near the Water Works administrative building at Fleur Drive and George Flagg Parkway. A tunnel would run underneath Fleur Drive to allow cyclists and pedestrians to connect with Gray’s Lake park.

Won’t the area flood? Yes. The features will be designed with flood-resilient materials, designers say. The area is in a 100-year flood zone, with a 1 percent annual chance of flooding, in one of the highest areas of the park. That section of Water Works borders a major gateway to downtown and is ripe for improvement. The goal is to attract people to the area every day, not just for big concerts.

CLOSE

A $9 million project will transform the southeast corner of Des Moines Water Works Park, adding an amphitheater, natural play features, a food truck park and a tunnel connection to Gray's Lake Park.

But this is about more than one corner of the park, so you should step back and see the larger picture. The Water Works Park Foundation envisions a series of improvements. It includes connected wetlands, ponds and canals that will provide new paths for paddlers. But a more important factor as the debate over water quality and nutrient reduction boils over: The system of waterways would filter out contaminants such as nitrates and increase the amount of filtered water.

The foundation's larger plans combine conservation, recreation and education while fulfilling Water Works' primary mission of providing clean water. It could preserve the wildness of most of the park while offering more opportunities for people to enjoy it. Private donations will pay for most of the transformation, but foundation officials also hope for local, state and federal funding to kick in 20 percent of the cost.

Take another step back. Water Works Park is one link in an amazing chain of natural areas along the Raccoon River — including Walnut Woods State Park, Browns Woods, Raccoon River Park and Gray’s Lake Park — all the way to the Riverwalk on the Des Moines River. The problem is, these parks are managed by a mix of state, county and city officials. Many of the parks lack much access to the river that winds through them or walking or bike trails to connect them all.

Officials from the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization are proposing a “Raccoon River Regional Gateway” — not a new park, but an effort to connect the parks. In its water trails and greenways plan for Raccoon River, the MPO says: “Beginning to view these parks as a connected park system would lead to improved planning of amenities, efficiencies in management and maintenance, and improved marketing of the various experiences offered within this segment of the water trails and greenways.”

Can you see the big picture now? Des Moines could boast a regional park that would rival or even overshadow New York’s Central Park, Vancouver’s Stanley Park or Minneapolis’ Chain of Lakes Regional Park. It could boost quality of life for residents in ways that only green spaces and water can.

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A $9 million project in Des Moines Water Works Park is slated to add walkways, play features, a food truck park and a dual-stage amphitheater with space for 25,000 people in the southeastern corner of Des Moines Water Works Park. Construction is expected to begin in 2017. Special to the Register

A $9 million project in Des Moines Water Works Park is slated to add walkways, play features, a food truck park and a dual-stage amphitheater with space for 25,000 people in the southeastern corner of Des Moines Water Works Park. Construction is expected to begin in 2017. Special to the Register

A $9 million project in Des Moines Water Works Park is slated to add walkways, play features, a food truck park and a dual-stage amphitheater with space for 25,000 people in the southeastern corner of Des Moines Water Works Park. Construction is expected to begin in 2017. Special to the Register

A $9 million expansion project in Water Works Park includes a dual-stage amphitheater, food truck park and a tunnel connection with Gray's Lake Park. Most of the construction is expected to begin in 2017, with the tunnel beneath Fleur Drive planned for 2018. Special to the Register

A $9 million project in Des Moines Water Works Park is slated to add walkways, play features, a food truck park and a dual-stage amphitheater with space for 25,000 people in the southeastern corner of Des Moines Water Works Park. Construction is expected to begin in 2017. Special to the Register

The Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation identified the highest elevation within Water Works Park for the site of an amphitheater, food truck park and other recreational features tied to a $9 million project. Special to the Register